STARKVILLE — There are more questions than answers surrounding Mississippi State football as the start of spring practice nears, and that’s not a surprise.
The Bulldogs are entering their first season with former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby at the helm. With him comes a new staff and a plethora of changes to a roster that went 5-7 last season.
One can point to every position on the field and find a question worth asking. Ideally, spring football will help provide some answers before Aug. 31 arrives and Mississippi State welcomes Eastern Kentucky to kick off a new era inside Davis Wade Stadium.
Here’s a look at three storylines we’re tracking before the spring season ends in Starkville.
How do the QBs look in Jeff Lebby’s system?
It doesn’t seem there will be a quarterback competition at MSU with Baylor transfer Blake Shapen expected to be the starter.
“When I watch him, I think, ‘That’s our kind of guy,’” Lebby said in December.
However, it still bears watching how Shapen looks moving to a new spot. There’s also an assortment of talent behind him worthy of attention.
Mississippi State retained Mike Wright, who started three games last season while Will Rogers battled an injury. When Rogers was healthy, Wright was used in special packages to utilize his legs. The former Vanderbilt transfer elected to stay at MSU, which suggests Lebby has an idea of how to use him.
There’s a battle behind those two to see who emerges as the future quarterback for Mississippi State. Chris Parson showed flashes as a freshman last season, but Lebby added four-star prospect Michael Van Buren to the 2024 signing class.
Van Buren impressed in the Under Armour All-America Game, showing why he was a former Oregon commitment who Lebby pursued immediately after getting hired at Mississippi State. After enrolling…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mississippi-state-football-3-spring-110507602.html
Author : The Clarion Ledger
Publish date : 2024-03-05 11:05:07
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